Kobo Touch with Offers carries cheap $99 price, built-in advertising

By Adam Rosenberg November 13, 2011

kobo-touch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Kobo, the Toronto-based company behind the Kobo Touch eReader, has come up with inventive way to save its customers a few dollars by replacing that income with ad revenue. The company’s soon-to-be-released Kobo Touch with Offers is an electronic ink screen e-reader (like the Kindle) that sells for $99 in the United States. It is identical to the standard Kobo Touch, save for one important feature: built-in ad time.

Basically, the Kobo Touch with Offers will automatically display “sponsored screens and valuable offers” when the device isn’t in use, such as when it’s offer, in sleep mode or “in other discreet places that are always outside of the reading experience, like on the bottom of your home screen.” The device will only be available in black and to U.S. customers when it is released; Kobo hasn’t announced a date, but the device’s product page says it’ll start shipping in 2-3 weeks.

Other than the ads, the Kobo Touch with Offers offers the same specs as its more expensive, ad-free sibling. It’s an eInk tablet with a 6-inch screen that weights less than half a pound. It sports a built-in 1 GB of internal memory that can be expanded with up to 32 GB of SD card storage. Kobo’s store has roughly 2.2 million books on offer.

Topics

Emerging Tech

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Mobile

4 simple pieces of tech that helped me run my first marathon

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar displaying pace information.

The fitness world is littered with opportunities to buy tech aimed at enhancing your physical performance. No matter your sport of choice or personal goals, there's a deep rabbit hole you can go down. It'll cost plenty of money, but the gains can be marginal -- and can honestly just be a distraction from what you should actually be focused on. Running is certainly susceptible to this.

A few months ago, I ran my first-ever marathon. It was an incredible accomplishment I had no idea I'd ever be able to reach, and it's now going to be the first of many I run in my lifetime. And despite my deep-rooted history in tech, and the endless opportunities for being baited into gearing myself up with every last product to help me get through the marathon, I went with a rather simple approach.

Emerging Tech

This bracelet helps you fall asleep faster and sleep longer

woman-in-bed-wearing-twilight-apollo-on-ankle

This content was produced in partnership with Apollo Neuroscience.
Have you been struggling to get the recommended seven hours of sleep? It's always frustrating when you get in bed at a reasonable time, then toss and turn for a hours before you actually sleep. The quality of that sleep is important too. If you're waking up multiple times during the night, you're likely not getting the quality REM cycle sleep that truly rejuvenates your body. If traditional remedies like herbal teas and noise machines just aren't helping, maybe it's time to try a modern solution. Enter the Apollo wearable.

Now we understand being a little skeptical. How can a bracelet on your wrist or ankle affect your sleep patterns? Certainly the answer to a better night's sleep can't be so simple. We considered these same things when we first heard of it. We'll dive deeper into the science behind the Apollo wearable, but suffice it to say that many people have experienced deeper, uninterrupted sleep while wearing one.
A non-conventional approach to better sleep

Deals

The 11 best Father’s Day deals that you can get for Sunday

Data from a workout showing on the screen of the Apple Watch Series 8.

Father's Day is fast approaching and there's still time to buy your beloved Dad a sweet new device to show him how much you love him. That's why we've rounded up the ten best Father's Day tech deals going on right now. There's something for most budgets here, including if you're able to spend a lot on your loved one. Read on while we take you through the highlights and remember to order fast so you don't miss out on the big day.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 -- $200, was $230

While it's the Plus version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 that features in our look at the best tablets, the standard variety is still worth checking out. Saving your Dad the need to dig out their laptop or squint at a small phone screen, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers a large 10.5-inch LCD display and all the useful features you would expect. 128GB of storage means plenty of room for all your Dad's favorite apps as well as games too. A long-lasting battery and fast charging save him the need for a power source too often too.